Toh 2983Untitled

Exposition of Toh 2983 - Tengyur

Context

This scripture belongs to the Tengyur, the collection of treatises explaining the Buddhadharma, compiled and preserved in the Northern Transmission tradition. The Tengyur is a treasury of wisdom of the Mahayana Buddhadharma, containing profound thoughts from great readers, especially the noble sages of the Self-Nature and Mind-Only schools.

The scripture number Toh 2983 lies in the Abhidharma Pitaka section, where commentaries and analyses of the fundamental Buddhadharma are concentrated. These scriptural treatises were composed to clarify subtle points in Mahayana doctrine, helping practitioners understand the path of liberation and develop the bodhisattva mind.

In its historical context, the treatises of the Tengyur were translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan from the ninth century onward by gifted translators such as Xuan Dieu, Tham Phat Xich, and others. This process of translation was not only a transfer of language but also the preservation of an exceedingly precious tradition of philosophical and spiritual thought.

Main Content

Although the title of this scripture has not been provided in a complete translated textual form, based on its position in the Abhidharma Pitaka, we may judge that it is a commentary or analysis of an essential aspect of the Mahayana Buddhadharma. Treatises in this position often focus on:

First, the nature of mind and consciousness (cittā), or the way mind functions in the process of practice in order to transcend the cycle of birth and death. The Northern Transmission Mahayana tradition emphasizes that the mind is originally pure but is obscured by ignorance (avidyā) and psychological defects.

Second, methods of practice for transforming the mind, especially through the wisdom of emptiness (śūnyatā-prajñapti) and the immeasurable loving-kindness and compassion (maitrī-karuṇā) of the bodhisattva. These treatises provide profound arguments demonstrating that all dharmas are without self-nature.